Family Preservation and Reunification Response Lead Practitioner

Position

Family Preservation and Reunification Response Lead Practitioner

Team

Families & Community Program

Role Classification

SCHADS Level 6

Employment Type

Permanent, Part Time

Location

Frankston, Sandringham and Hampton East (Bunurong Land)

From time to time the incumbent may be requested to work from or be based at other Family Life sites.

Reports To

Team Leader, Family Services

Effective Date

March 2026 

Overview of Program 

The Families & Community Program at Family Life offers a range of services within the Bayside Peninsula catchment. This includes the Brief Support, Community Bubs, Integrated Family Services (IFS), Integrated Family Services Plus (IFS+) and Family Preservation & Reunification Response (FPRR) Programs. These programs are aimed at providing an enhanced response to families with significant needs, who have children under the age of 18 years old. Support is focused on strengthening the capacity of families to provide a safe, nurturing, and stable environment for their children. Support is also provided to vulnerable families and their children who are often involved with or at risk of entering the statutory Child Protection system.

The aim of our Family Services Programs is to provide parenting support based on the needs of families, to promote safety and wellbeing. Overall, the FPRR Lead Practitioner’s role is aimed at ensuring children are meeting their developmental milestones, and that their needs are being met through this direct work with families.

FPRR is a statewide, evidence informed approach, working with eligible families referred by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Child Protection. FPRR provides relational, evidence informed and targeted support to children and families to prevent children entering Out of Home Care, or to support families where children are returning to reside in parental care.

FPRR offers an initial phase of rapid, intensive and flexible approach to support, followed by sustained support and transitions to other services where necessary. FPRR utilises a collaborative and coordinated partnership between FPRR Lead Practitioners and Child Protection.

FPRR seeks to reduce the number of children entering care and remaining in care and acknowledges the over-representation of Aboriginal children placed out of parental care

Position Objective

The FPRR Lead Practitioner role is a part-time, permanent position within the broader Family Services Team. This position works from both the Sandringham and Frankston Family Life Service Centres (Bunurong Land).

The FPRR Lead Practitioner will work with a range of clients where there are complex needs and issues of risk and safety, including but not limited to, mental health concerns, alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse, family violence, complex disability, trauma, sexual exploitation and social isolation.

The FPRR Lead Practitioner supports family preservation - creating safety at home and preventing removal and placement in care; and family reunification - supporting the safe and rapid return of children to parental care. The FPRR Lead Practitioner does this via an intensive, evidence-based intervention model, focussed on building and maintaining motivation for change, alongside direct support for skill building. The FPRR Lead Practitioner utilises a strength based, relational approach that is adaptable and responsive to the individual needs of children and their families.

The FPRR Lead Practitioner will work in partnership with families to:

• Increase safety for children and young people through continuous risk assessment, safety planning and implementation.


• Build motivation and skills, working towards making and sustaining change. 

• Improve positive parent-child interactions and family functioning.


• Provide psychoeducation using the FPRR module-based approach, relating to trauma and promote healing, including impacts of colonisation, past policies and racism for Aboriginal people, increasing parents’ skills and capacity to meet their child’s health, safety and developmental needs, and to build self-resilience through linkages to community support, education, training and employment.


• Strengthen cultural identity and cultural connection of Aboriginal children, young people and families.


• Provide psychoeducation and create community linkages, to improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families.


• Strengthen collaboration and coordinated practice of service providers, Child Protection and relevant professionals working with children and families.


• Embed evidence-informed practices known to improve outcomes for children and families.


• Providing support whilst drawing from several evidence informed tools to formulate strengths and needs assessment, safety plans, and family lead goal setting. As the family progresses through the response, they will be supported by the FPRR Lead Practitioner to step down to support within the community to maintain their independence.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Managing a high-risk caseload of families with complex needs, with adherence to the statewide FPRR model. This model utilises trauma informed approaches to practice, theoretical frameworks and evidence-based practices.


• Provision of intensive support to families referred by Child Protection via an outreach model over a period of 200-240 hours. Ensuring that families are supported and enabled to provide children with a safe, stable home and start to life.


• Working collaboratively with care team members to provide continuity of care and integration which focuses on the individual needs of children, young people and families. Ensuring that families are actively involved in this process.


• Provision of support from a strengths-based, attachment focused lens. Utilising systems and feminist theory to promote empowerment, independence and sustainable change.


• FPRR Lead Practitioners will work as part of the broader Family Services team, sharing skills and resources with colleagues to promote a culture of learning, reflection and professional connection. 
  

Key Selection Criteria

1. Bachelor level qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Social Sciences or equivalent.


2. Ability to manage a high-risk caseload, using trauma informed approaches integrated with the prescribed FPRR model.


3. Excellent knowledge of infant and child development, infant mental health and factors that can impede a child’s healthy development


4. Sound understanding of the service system including DFFH Child Protection, and experience working as part of a care team to promote collaboration, shared responsibility and capacity building.


5. Experience in the delivery of evidence-based interventions and case management in line with the Best Interest Principles as defined under the Child Youth and Families Act 2005 and other relevant frameworks. Experience using other evidence informed tools and approaches is highly desirable.


6. Strong understanding of the Child, Youth and Families Act 2005, the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS), the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) and experience with the application of the MARAM framework. Demonstrated ability to understand the importance and scope of information sharing, where appropriate, to ensure safety and wellbeing of children.


7. Ability to articulate and reflect upon personal and professional values and work effectively under pressure and respond appropriately to crises.


8. Ability to promote safety and stability through ongoing application of risk assessment


9. Commitment to meeting the needs of at-risk families and children guided by the organisation’s whole of family approach and community-based model of service delivery.


10. High level of verbal and written communication skills to conduct effective risk assessment, case noting and sound administration. In combination with this experience, the ability to utilise these within the organisation’s computer-based software.


11. Information technology skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and client information systems.